From the Guardian:
“Wild bison are to return to the UK for the first time in 6,000 years, with the release of a small herd in Kent planned for spring 2022.
“The £1m project to reintroduce the animals will help secure the future of an endangered species. But they will also naturally regenerate a former pine wood plantation by killing off trees. This creates a healthy mix of woodland, scrub and glades, boosting insect, bird and plant life.
“During the initial release, one male and three females will be set free. Natural breeding will increase the size of the herd, with one calf per year the norm for each female. The bison will come from the Netherlands or Poland, where releases have been successful and safe.”
Here’s a bunch of bison in Poland:
In the same vein, I’ve written before about Knepp Wildland in West Sussex here and Isabella Tree’s book, Wilding, here. I’ll betcha they’re itching to introduce bison at Knepp too!
It’s the exact same process: bring in keystone species to kick off long-lost ecological processes and food chains:
“Bison kill selected trees by eating their bark or rubbing against them to remove their thick winter fur. This creates a feast of dead wood for insects, which provide food for birds. Tree felling also creates sunny clearings where native plants can thrive. The trust expects nightingales and turtle doves to be among the beneficiaries of the bison’s “ecosystem engineering”.
These are big fullas:
The European bison is the continent’s largest land mammal and bulls can weigh as much as a tonne. “They’re enormous,” said Stan Smith of Kent Wildlife Trust. “But what is amazing is how they blend into their background and they’re quite docile really.”
What’s more, they are quite partial to picnics:
Don’t forget that—despite the advertising campaign of rolling hills, old stone fences and good ole’ picture-postcard countryside, Britain finds itself well dug in to an ecological cul-de-sac:
“Populations of the UK’s most important wildlife have plummeted by an average of 60% since 1970. Britain is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, despite the best efforts of conservationists.”
Get those bison right in there.